It is our war

How is the war on terror, which has vigorously involved thousands of our soldiers and civilians, not our own?

The Youm-e-Shuhada ceremony organised at the General Headquarters, Rawalpindi, assumes great significance and a leap forward in maintaining the civil-military relationship. The army top brass, especially General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, deserves our wholehearted appreciation in organising a ceremony to remember and eulogise the services of the martyrs in the current war on terror.

How unfortunate is the fact that three major political parties are openly criticising the war and confusing the people by declaring the war on terror as an American war? How is this war, which has vigorously involved thousands of our soldiers and civilians, not our own? This is tantamount to high treason whether these elements like it or not.

The problem with us is that politicians hesitate to collaborate with the military due to certain reasons for their lack of knowledge on strategy and military matters. Entering a war, executing it and ending it is a collaborative effort. Mere verbosity and rhetoric in public gatherings is not the answer. The malicious propaganda against the armed forces by right-wing media is unstoppable with a peculiar band of politicians. The armed forces, as a disciplined organisation, cannot send its representatives to media houses to take part in daily talk shows arranged by pseudo-intellectuals who are driven by self-delusion and self-importance.

General Kayani has not minced words and declared in unambiguous terms that the menace of terrorism cannot be fought by the military alone unless the entire nation embraces it as the major threat to our survival and our own war. What is more depressing is the fact that unabashedly, a vicious propaganda is at work and the nation is wrongly made to believe that we are fighting America’s war.

On this momentous occasion, the army chief, in his address, has categorically affirmed that the forthcoming elections will be held on schedule on May 11 and allayed the fears of those sceptical that elections might not be held on time. The cooperation extended to civilian authorities should be taken seriously and taken as a sign of the resolve and commitment of the army to a smooth transition to the newly elected civilian leadership.

The army chief has echoed the words of Harold Laski when he said that democratic culture cannot be sustained unless the people are not economically and socially empowered. The only way out is to take into account the welfare of the people. What we have been witnessing is a wide gap between the haves and have-nots. He has referred to the extractive political and economic institutions that are a great impediment to the democratisation of a society. Rightly so, he has mentioned that democratic culture is beyond retribution.

Analysing the crux of this important address by the army chief, one tends to agree with him that the current situation of the country is not stable and the squabbles and irresponsible behaviour of politicians have worsened the situation. Some sceptics have misconstrued the underlying theme of the address. In fact, General Kayani has reminded those elements that at a time when the troops are engaged with terrorists and when they have been deployed in major cities, any adventurism on the part of political parties, on or after the elections, might turn the events into a repeat of the 1977 elections. It is, therefore, in the interest of the country that the elections be held on time and in a peaceful manner.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 9^th, 2013.